We wish you...

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Today we invited one of our 7-year old friends to come home with us after church.  We had a fun-filled afternoon.....at least Tommy & I did.......& we hope he did, too.  I am going to post some pictures of our fun.....

A night out.....

Tonight Tommy & I joined some friends at the Christmas Tree Gala that benefits Mission Granbury.  It was a fun night......something we don't do often......dress up & go out.  A good time was had by all!

Thanksgiving......there's SO much on my list.....

As Thanksgiving approaches, SO many things come to my mind that I'm thankful for!  Here is just a sampling:

• GOD who created, loves, protects, provides for me
• HUSBAND who supports me physically, mentally, emotionally, financially & loves me more than I could ever deserve
• DAUGHTER that I love, respect, am proud to call mine & CAN'T WAIT for her arrival home this week........she SO lights up our sky!!!
• MOM who serves as a mentor, friend, neighbor, cook, errand-runner, advisor, encourager, role model, cook, laundry helper when our dryer goes out & anything else we need her for
• DAD who was THE BEST a girl could ever have......I miss him EVERY SINGLE DAY.......but am thankful to God that he was my DADDY!
• UNCLE AND AUNT that I can call upon anytime of the day or night for encouragement, love, advice, help with a practical joke.....the possibilities are ENDLESS!
• GIRL COUSINS who would equal any sister I could've ever hoped for
• IN-LAWS who are supportive of our decisions, loving, encouraging & have even let us move in with them MORE THAN ONCE during moves when we sold one place before we could get another built.....bless them for that!
• SISTER-IN-LAWS & BROTHER-IN-LAWS that we actually look forward to being with during the holidays.  They have also shared their children with us & they have been a delight to us!
• EXTENDED family that we consider close.....love those family reunions......
• CHURCH FAMILY who encourage me & my family, hold me accountable to the Lord, assisted in raising my family, love me during the good and tough times
• ELDERS at our church who give so much time & energy to making good decisions for us & also for their families who allow them the time away to perform those duties
• PLACE TO LIVE where at any given moment, I can flip a thermostat & make it any temperature I want & can walk outside & see squirrels, fox, bobcat, deer, skunks, rabbits, birds INSTEAD of a neighbor looking over my fence  :)
• PLACE TO WORK where I am surrounded by friends ages 4-9 who lift my spirits and make me smile
• NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR at school with whom I share a wall AND prayer time & lunch every day
• CO-WORKERS with whom I enjoy working & actually like to be with every day
• LIBRARY ASSISTANT (thank you, Granbury ISD School Board!) that LOVES our students & makes our library a good place to work & visit!!
• BIBLE SCHOOL TEACHERS who have reinforced in Bible class what we tried to teach at home
• SCHOOL TEACHERS who have loved Cori through her school years when they got to spend as much time (or more) with her than we did
• COACHES throughout the years of sports that taught Cori more than basketball and/or volleyball skills
• COLLEGE PROFESSORS who are advisors, mentors, friends & those who live in Abilene & have offered themselves and/or their homes to Cori if she ever needs anything.....it means a lot......
• FRIENDS of Cori's that we LOVE having in our home!!
• MY FRIEND, Suzy, who meets me every Tuesday AM before school to pray & is my unconditional friend that is good to giggle with me WHENEVER we want, 4-wheeler riding buddy & more (thanks, too, to our husbands who will sit on the porch & visit while we play!)
• FRIENDS we've had throughout the years.....those we keep in close touch with & those we don't.....
• ACCOUNTABILITY partners at the Y.....Martha, Amy......I know, I know.......I have been BAD lately......promise to do better!
• FAMILIES who have been instrumental in helping our family be where we are now......I probably shouldn't start naming names, but......here goes......Sawyers, Berrymans, Robeys, Guys, McCoys, Phillips, Rountrees, Antwines, Knoxs, Frizzells, Dutys, Tabors, Dawsons, Lillagores, Gentrys, Hackneys, Boyd/Marzloff, Johnsons, Hoylers, Jeffries, Broyles, Reids, Thompsons, Moores,  Whitleys.....the list could go ON & ON!

During this season of holidays, we have determined that giving thanks is what we want to focus on & this is just a SHORT list of things I am thankful for........

Roping with friends

This summer, while Tommy, Matt & I had some fun team roping at the arena at our house, our friend, Daleena, came to take some pictures for us.  Enjoy!!

Bucket List

I seem to have a "bucket list" that I'm checking things off of this year.  So far this year, here are some things I've marked off that list:

Ran a 10K

Ran a half-marathon

Completed a triathlon

Went bear hunting

Thanks to all of you who were a part of these journeys!

Not sure what else is in store, but I'm open to suggestions.......

First attempt

OK.....here goes.....my first attempt at blogging......

I have enjoyed reading others' blogs & now I'm going to give it a try.